Socceroo defender Lucas Neill has apologised to Liverpool's Jamie Carragher for breaking his leg in a two-footed tackle at the weekend.

But Neill's apology is unlikely to dampen calls for him to be banned for six months, the same length of time that Carragher will be out of action.

Neill was given an immediate red card and automatic three-match ban for the tackle, which occurred early in Blackburn's bad-tempered 3-1 Premier League loss on Saturday.

He denied there was any malicious intent, telling the Blackburn website he felt deeply sorry for Carragher.

"No-one likes to hear of any player being injured, especially for the long term, but there was absolutely no intent on my part - I simply went to play the ball," Neill said.

"I am an aggressive and committed player, that is part of my game, but I play it fairly. I pass on my best wishes to Jamie for a speedy recovery and hope at some stage to be able to go over to see him and shake his hand."

Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier and the club's fans have called for Neill to be banned for six months to match the action Carragher will miss.

"In France there was a case where a player injured another with a bad tackle, which forced him out of the game for two months," Houllier told the Liverpool Echo.

"The French FA banned the player responsible for the same length of time.

"I think Neill deserves more than three games for the way he behaved. To break a leg when a player is wearing shinpads takes something."

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